To Woo a Thief
by TarnItUp
Summary: Stealing is wrong. Love is pointless. Hard work is the only way to get what you want in life. And fate definitely, definitely, does not exist. Or so Ryou thought. When a smooth-talking phantom appears and calls himself the King of Thieves, practical goes right out the window. Will Bakura steal Ryou's heart, or will Ryou steal his?
1. Black Heart

******So I was bored and thought to myself, 'what if Bakura was Phantom Skye and Ryou was Claire?' And then I realized that it would probably go something like this. A super-flirty!Bakura and a clueless-as-usual!Ryou. And then I realized that it would be fun to do a chapter for all of the heart events, so I decided 'what the hell', it's not like I don't have three or four fics desperately in need of an update /sarcasm. **

******Anyway. This black heart event chapter is pretty short, and I'm pretty sure they all will be. The heart events will be fairly close to the real thing and the dialogue is (almost) word for word, but I have taken a few liberties to have everything make sense- Ryou needs a reason to be up at midnight, after all. You don't even have to play Harvest Moon DS Cute to get it (hopefully).**

******Without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Ryou sighed softly as he righted himself, dragging the back of his hand along his forehead to wipe it free of sweat. Work was hard, especially farming, and sometimes he wanted nothing more than to complain. To think he was supposed to be the hardworking one! The sun was relentless, and the dry heat of summer made his work that much more difficult. He wanted to go to sleep, to be honest. A nap sounded like a dream come true.

But that just wasn't an option for him.

He had to finish watering the fields before it got to be too late, and there was still a plot full of crops that needed to be harvested and delivered to his neighbor, Romana, before midnight. No, he wouldn't be taking a break for some time.

The backbreaking labor of farm work was tough, and the rewards were far and few. He had enough money to get by, especially when his crops sold well, but there weren't many opportunities for fine things. But tonight...

Romana was the wealthiest woman in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and she had a certain fondness for pineapples. When she had heard that he had a large plot of them ready for harvest, she had offered him nearly 1,000 gold for each- double the usual price. There was only one problem- she needed the pineapples tonight, and she usually went to bed at midnight. That meant that he needed to get the fruits to her house before it was too late, and that in turn meant all of this hard work had to take place in one day. Woe.

But the lure of profits was too strong to ignore and simply pass up, and so Ryou slaved in the sinking summer sun until every pineapple had been collected.

By the time the fields were emptied, the sun had dipped low into the sky. Everything around him was painted in various shades of gold and crimson, and even his light hair was dyed a bright saffron color by the bands of sunlight. Sweat poured profusely down his neck and soaked his shirt through, and with a touch of regret, he realized that there was no way he'd ever be able to visit Romana's mansion looking like this. It would be like showing up at Kaiba's mansion in his birthday suit and a sombrero- not something that anyone did stone cold sober.

With a skip in his step, he showered quickly and toweled himself off. His hair took the longest time to dry, and so he let it down to dry in the air while he chose a set of clothes to wear over there. He selected his nicest outfit, a blue and white striped shirt with a lighter blue button up hanging open on top, and made sure his hair was smooth and presentable. Romana was Kaiba-rich, after all. It wouldn't do to look like anything less than perfection.

By the time the clock struck ten, he had the pineapples gathered in a basket and carried them carefully out the door. He had only two hours to get there, but that should be plenty of time considering it was just down the road. He jogged lightly, and though his breath caught a little with the exertion, it was nothing compared to this morning. The sun had gone down, and it had taken with it much of the oppressive heat that he had suffered through all day. It was almost nice outside. Almost.

The mansion loomed into sight before him, and he paused by the fountain in front of the mansion to catch his breath. He placed the basket on the fountain's low stone wall and took a few deep breaths, anxiously smoothing his hair down.

A flash of movement in his peripheral vision stole his attention, and he glanced behind him to try and spot the source. He stared at a suspicious looking flagstone on the ground for a moment before laughing at himself. There wasn't anyone around here, at least, nobody that would hide. Romana's granddaughter Lumina should be inside, along with the manservant, Sebastian. Nobody outside to spook him, and nobody within a mile that would want to.

"Heh heh."

The small chuckle made him jump, and Ryou whirled around to see a cocky-looking young man approach him. There was a smirk on the man's face, and his hands hung lightly off of hips that swiveled with every sauntered step.

"Hello, beautiful. Walking alone at night? That isn't very safe. There are thieves around here, you know," he said to Ryou. The coy smirk oozed sex, from the glittering, lusty crimson irises to the pale, twisted lips. Ryou found his cheeks flushing with sudden and random desire that he couldn't place.

In fact, Ryou could only stare blankly for a moment before blurting the first thing that came to mind. "Who are you?" he asked. If there was one thing Ryou knew, it was that he had never seen this man before in his life, and that was a pretty big deal considering how small this valley was. Everyone knew everyone and vice versa, making it nearly impossible to keep any secret whatsoever- especially when the secret was as attractive as the one that was standing in front of Ryou.

The man, flipping his silvery hair out of his eyes, threw Ryou a dazzling smile. "Me? I'm quite the ladies' man, men too when they're as lovely as you, and a King of Thieves and of all the stars in the sky," he said.

A fluttery feeling brushed somewhere deep in Ryou's chest, making his legs want to crumble into toothpicks. Why? Why did he feel like that? It was just some... extremely attractive boy. That was all, right? Oh, but his wry grin and his lean body made Ryou want to reach out and touch him, just to make sure he was real and not some spirit of the darkness sent to lure the innocent away and steal their hearts and souls.

Just then, Lumina burst out of the front door. She looked angry and pointed at the 'King'. "Hey, aren't you that famous thief that warns his victims ahead of time?!" she yelled over the fountain. She began to stomp angrily towards him, but the King only held up his hands as if proving his innocence with his empty palms.

"Sorry, but I'm a little pressed for time. I was just about to jet out," he said with a shrug. And then he glanced back at Ryou, saying in a suave tone, "Heh heh. Call me Thief King Bakura. I have a feeling we'll meet again. It's in the stars."

"Wait right there!" Lumina cried, charging closer at a quicker pace.

Bakura redirected the sassy smirk, throwing it towards Lumina and making her stumble and stop in her tracks for a moment. "Heh heh. Hold up, beautiful. Don't let such raw anger steal away your beauty." His grin widened until it was utterly devilish like some ear-to-ear cheshire smirk, and he turned and bolted down the flagstones and down the steps, away from the mansion, Lumina, and Ryou.

For a moment, Lumina seemed entranced by his words, whispering, "What a smooth talker! Thief King Bakura," softly to herself as Bakura's black clothes were swallowed up by the night.

"He's, uh, getting away," Ryou told her, and she snapped to immediately.

She took off, chasing him down the steps. Confused, Ryou squinted and peered into the darkness trying to spot one of them, but they had gotten too far away. What was he supposed to do now? The thief, beautiful and cocky as he was, was getting away! Didn't that mean Ryou was supposed to chase him down? He couldn't let silly little words distract him!

Oh, but they'd been so lovely, spoken in a smooth, beguiling voice that was rough and yet still sweet, deep without being gravel, and soft while still being noticeable. It was a voice with a lilt that lured sailors to their deaths and spouses to commit acts of adultery. Sinful, almost. Honey stirred into poison, or a rose crested with an array of thorns. And when he had called Ryou beautiful, well... Ryou had never before thought of himself that way. But now there was nothing else in his mind but those dirty little thoughts that teased and touched and tortured him with visions of suave thieves with silver tongues and moonlit hair.

A thief like that, well, they could drag more than their fare share of innocents down into some sweet state of corruption. And Ryou, despite his reservations, had to wonder if that wouldn't be such a bad thing after all...

No! He was good! He would not take some thief's side! He would help Lumina bring this 'Thief King Bakura' to justice! He was just about to head out after Lumina when he saw her appear, out of breath, through the gloom.

"Thief King Bakura! He- he got away from me!" she said, looking only a little upset. She closed her eyes, and for a moment, she looked almost... blissful. A tiny little half-smile touched her lips. "Hmmm, Thief King Bakura," she sighed dreamily.

Ryou almost echoed the sentiment.

Lumina stood there for a moment more before turning to face Ryou. "Are those the pineapples Romana wanted?" she asked, pointing to the basket that still sat on the stone wall. Ryou nodded and picked the basket up, but something caught his eye. One was missing. Just one.

The thief, no doubt. Suddenly, this thief wasn't so romantic. He had stolen one of Ryou's precious pineapples, and that was positively unforgivable.

"Come on," Lumina told him. "You can bring those inside. I can pay you," she said.

With a small frown on his face, he followed her inside of the house. That thief had better hope Ryou never saw him again, or there would be hell to pay...

* * *

The following morning, his pockets significantly heavier with the weight of the previous evening's gold, Ryou called up Karen, who ran the General Store. His newest cooking utensil, a cooking pot, had just come in the mail, and he wanted to try it out. And really, what better way is there to try out a new cooking pot than to make curry in it? Ryou sure didn't know.

When the ingredients had all been bought, he cooked up a storm, trying out various recipes to create the finest and most elaborate curry he could. The final result was the tastiest indigo curry he had every made. And, with success humming pleasantly in his blood and bringing that smallest of serene smiles to his face, he assembled a picnic basket of his favorite things. A bottle of grape wine would complement the flavor of the curry perfectly, and the candle would, when lit, smell of sweet vanilla.

He was content, and headed out just as the cicadas began to chirp. Sunset was, without a doubt, the best time to enjoy the Goddess Pond.

The events of last night were completely forgotten to him as he made his way to the lovely little pond said to be the home of the Harvest Goddess. But then, Ryou wasn't sure he believed that. After all, the Harvest Goddess hadn't been seen in a long time, at least, not since Ryou had taken over the Forget-Me-Not Valley farm. But that didn't change the fact that the calm waters and bell-shaped flowers lining the path made it the most peaceful place in the valley.

He laid a blanket out on the grass in front of the edge of the pond, humming lightly as he did so. The basket was cracked open, and the candle was set just beside him. When it got dark, he'd be glad for the light it offered, and the gorgeous cast of fire reflecting on the water. He poured himself a glass of the wine and used the fork he'd packed to bring a taste of the curry to his lips.

It was phenomenal. Absolutely heavenly. The best he'd ever fixed beyond the shadow of a doubt. For a moment he simply sat there, content to sip his wine and eat his meal in peace. Until he was rudely interrupted, that is.

"Hello, beautiful," a silky voice purred, surprising Ryou for the second time in as many nights. "I didn't think I'd see you here."

"You!" he cried.

"Me," the thief echoed, smirking. "Don't you know it's dangerous to be out alone? And with such... delicacies, I might add. Is that curry I smell?"

"Y-yes," Ryou squeaked. He was frozen, immobilized with his fork only inches from his lips, by the sight of this phantom Thief King who called himself Bakura.

Yes, it was definitely Bakura, of that, there was no doubt. Nobody else had the same fluid grace, the same teasing red eyes.

Bakura hummed lightly, crouching down onto one knee so he'd be looking Ryou in the eye. "Mmm, it smells homemade. Mind if I try a bite?" he asked.

Without waiting, the King leaned forward and closed his lips around the tines of the fork. There was a stunning sensuality to the way the lips moved on the steel, widening into the smallest of unconscious smirks as the mouth was opened. Two tiny, almost fang-like teeth glittered inside of his mouth, flashing for only the split second they were exposed. And then, as the lips closed around the fork, they pursed slightly and looked soft and kissable. Ryou let his jaw drop slightly in surprise. Goosebumps lifted along his arms in a racing chill.

"Mmm! Quite good. You'll have to tell me what your secret is, beautiful," Bakura said with a small wink.

"Ryou."

"What?"

"Ryou. That's my name," Ryou forced out. "N-not beautiful."

Bakura tilted his head slightly to the side. "Ah, but Ryou, you are quite beautiful. So natural it seems almost unreal. In fact, I think you're doing this on purpose!"

"Doing what?"

"Why, what every maiden does around me. I don't think it takes a fool to get what I'm saying."

Ryou flushed angrily. "Are you saying you think I did this to see you? To impress you?" he yelled, perhaps a little too loudly. "I did this for me, because I needed a break. You stole one of my pineapples, you know. Do you know how much work it took to grow them? A lot. That's how much. Nearly a solid month of daily watering for each. I didn't come here to feed you my curry!"

Suddenly, Ryou clamped a hand on his mouth.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to yell like that. I don't know what came over me. I was just, well, irritated. And..."

"Shh," Bakura soothed. He placed a long, pale finger on Ryou's mouth, silencing him. "Ryou lovely, has anyone ever said you talked too much? There is a time for words, but I do not think it is here. Listen. What do you hear?"

Ryou closed his eyes and listened. Voices. He heard voices, faintly, far off in the distance.

"A search party," Bakura said, grinning. "They don't know I come here every night, but they do know I like to walk around the valley in the evenings and last night was the first time they've seen me in a while. I think they intend on catching me."

"You're a thief. You deserve to be caught," Ryou said. "All thieves do, even no-good-sexy-pineapple-thieves."

"Did you call me sexy?"

Ryou squeaked. Yes. "N-no!" he said. It had slipped out! He hadn't meant to say it that way!

Bakura wagged his finger teasingly. "Ah, but I think you did. I could have sworn I heard sexy somewhere between no good and pineapple thief. And you and I both know that the only no-good-sexy-pineapple-thief around here is me."

"You're hearing things," Ryou said, looking away. He forced himself to stare at the grass. Maybe if he didn't look up, he wouldn't be distracted by the hypnotic motion of those sensual lips moving with every rounded syllable and consonant. "And you still deserve to be taken away."

"Then yell my name. Call them towards us. Prove that you think I need to be in jail, that I'm a bad boy," Bakura teased. "They're not far now. In fact, I suspect they could hear us now if they weren't so noisy."

Ryou pursed his lips tightly, staring at the ground. Would he? Should he? He opened his lips to say something to Bakura, but when he looked up, the thief was gone. Vanished without a trace as silently as a phantom.

"Bakura?" Ryou asked softly, confused.

He heard a rustle to his left and saw a group of people burst through the brush. They were arguing amongst themselves, and Bakura was right. They probably would have heard everything if they hadn't been so noisy. They saw him immediately, the single fluted glass of wine and lone plate beside him on the blanket.

"Oh, Ryou! Didn't know you were out tonight!" Griffin said.

"Are you looking for Bakura?" Ryou asked him.

Muffy smiled. "We are. Would you like to help?"

"I don't know how much help I'll be..." Ryou said, unable to decide whether or not to tell them what Bakura had told him- that the thief visited the Goddess Pond nearly every evening. He bit his lip. "Bakura is pretty sneaky. He'd probably just hear us coming anyway."

"True, but it doesn't hurt to try," Vesta said with a nod.

Ryou shook his head. "It's pretty late," he said. "I think I'll just head home. Maybe next time, though."

They nodded, and Muffy said, "Sounds perfect!"

"Good luck," Ryou said. He packed his things slowly, watching as the group left. He'd just made a mistake, didn't he? He should have told them. But he didn't, and Bakura was long gone anyway. A thief as skilled as him, he could be halfway to Mineral Town by now and no one would be the wiser. Certainly not Ryou, and certainly not anyone in the valley.

Ryou flopped backward on the blanket. The stars above glittered weakly, drowned out by the moon. A faint breeze shook the trees. Summer was almost over, he realized. Dawn would come tomorrow, bringing with it the second to last day of the season. Where had the time gone? And yesterday... Yesterday, when he had first seen Bakura. That memory still lingered just below the surface of his thoughts, dredged up by Bakura's reappearance.

He hated the thief, hated that Bakura stole from Romana and stole from him and from the countless others that lived in the Valley. He hated himself.

He should have told them, dammit! There was still time to- Bakura said he came to this pond every night! Ryou could still do the right thing. But why did he not want to? It couldn't have been something so shallow as Bakura's fine features. Ryou frowned savagely at the stars, the ones Bakura had claimed he ruled over.

Nobody owned these stars. They had no King, and Bakura was certainly no sovereign, even to them. Thief he may be, nobody could steal them away. Ryou frowned. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would tell them. He would visit Muffy and Griffin and tell them that Bakura came to the pond every night. He would make it up to himself and to them.

* * *

**I hope to have chapters for each of the heart events plus maybe a few for post-marriage. That includes the feather! I'm also aware that Bakura is severely OOC. I'm thinking of ways to fix it a little... **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Purple Heart

**Ugh... using the game dialogue for Muffy and Griffin is so difficult. A lot of it is bland and some of it needs to be seriously reworked. I transcribed everything for the purple heart event and even I was cringing at some of it. Expect a few more changes than last time.**

* * *

Summer 28 brought with it torrential rains. It was a dreary Monday by anyone's standards, but it didn't dampen Ryou's resolve to do what he thought was the right thing. He felt insanely guilty for taking so long to reach this moral conclusion. It shouldn't have taken him so long. A thief was a thief was a thief. Nothing would change that. Not alluring blood-colored eyes, not an oh-so-touchable body, and certainly not the siren's voice with its tongue of liquid silver.

Oh, lovely. He was waxing poetic about a common crook. This wasn't good...

Ryou shook his head, expression sour. He needed to wash his hands of this, and he was pretty sure it was Griffin and Muffy that had spearheaded the last thief-hunt. He would just go to them, and they would know what to do about it. Griffin was good at giving advice anyway. He probably had quite a bit of experience, running the bar and all. It just... it just made sense to Ryou.

He tossed the last of his handful of grain to the birds that clustered at his feet and he gave them one last fond smile. There, the chickens were taken care of for the day. The rain meant he didn't have to water anything, which was good. It made his day nice and simple. Well, except for the whole 'ratting out the pretty thief'.

Not petty. Pretty. The way those hips swayed when he walked... Oh, that had to be illegal.

Ryou clenched his hands into fists. No! No more thinking about him! He was done! No more thoughts about Thief King Bakura!

He stormed out of the barn and onto his land. The sky refused to let up its downpour, and he felt himself brightening with every bucketful to land on his shoulders. He loved rain. It fed the land and revitalized it as Ryou himself could never do without tiring himself to the point of no return. Rain was life, cleanliness.

But it was also damp and miserable to stand in all day, so Ryou didn't tarry long out in it on his way to the Blue Bar. It wasn't open for business this early in the day, but the owner should be inside at least, taking shelter from the inclement weather.

Ryou ducked under the eave of the doorway, wringing out his clothes and his hair before knocking lightly on the door. It swung open almost immediately, and Ryou was met by the sight of a very fretful-looking Muffy.

"Oh, come on, out of that rain," she chided, pulling him inside. She nodded very seriously at him. "You came at a good time. We just received a notice from Thief King Bakura."

Ryou could feel his eyebrows lift with surprise. Coincidence? Or fate...?

"What did it say?" he asked.

"'I'm going to bless your bar with my presence at midnight for a drink. Thief King Bakura.' He certainly loves himself," Griffin said. Ryou glanced up and saw him lounging against the bar. The note was on the counter beside him, and Ryou picked it up. The message was inscribed on fine, heavy paper in black ink.

The colors were stark against each other, a sort of monochrome that was very like Bakura himself.

The silvery hair, the pale skin, the black and white clothes... Why, the only thing that had any sort of color on him were those sultry crimson eyes! And Ryou couldn't forget that perfect, pale pink rosebud of a mouth...

He dug his fingernails into his palm. Bad Ryou. Bad, bad Ryou. Do you need to go back in the rain? His hair was already cold and clammy on his skin and his clothes were making him shiver. But there was a fire going inside, and it was slowly warming him. Inside was good, he could behave.

He unclenched his fingers and tuned back into the conversation in time to listen to Muffy say, "And sending a notice of his arrival makes me think he's quite confident. I kind of like that."

Yes, the confidence was appealing. But it wasn't the only thing...

"Anyway," Griffin said pointedly, "he is a thief, so we gotta corner him."

Muffy snapped out of her daze first. "That's right. We'll make him pay gold for that drink!"

"That's not what I meant," Griffin groaned.

"I'm kidding!" Muffy laughed aloud. She took the note and looked at it again before discarding it back onto the countertop. "Hey, Griffin, what if Ryou helped us catch him? Three sets of eyes are better than two, and he said the other night that he'd love to help out!"

"I suppose that would work. Do you have some time tonight, Ryou?" Griffin asked.

"Please?" Muffy begged. "We could really use your help to catch that arrogant thief."

Ryou smiled. "I'd be glad to help." Even better, he could just catch the thief himself! He didn't even have to bother telling them about the silly pond thing! And anyway, what sort of sneaky thief tells someone that they'll be going to the same place every evening? Certainly not a good one, and seeing how cocky Bakura seemed to be, he had to have a certain amount of skill to back up his bold assumptions..

Bakura probably wouldn't even visit that pond anymore. It was just a silly pond, anyway. Ryou nodded.

"Thank you, Ryou. We're depending on you," Muffy said.

Griffin sighed. "I hope you don't mind. We really do appreciate it. We need you here before midnight, if you can."

"I can," Ryou said. He inclined his head faintly. He was done here. All he had to do was come by later tonight, and that thief was as good as done for. No more Thief King Bakura taking people's things and hailing himself as a King of the stars.

He paused for a moment at the doorway, reluctant to step out into the rain. Maybe an umbrella would be a good thing to find before it got to be too late in the day, he decided. He stepped out into the deluge and smiled. All good things would come tonight, surely. With a warning ahead of time, there was no way this thief would catch them unaware!

He hummed to himself. The mines seemed like an excellent way to kill time, so he headed up to the dig site to hunt for ancient valuables. Time melted away, and before he knew it, it was late.

He waved goodbye to the chief archaeologists, Carter and Flora, and headed back up to the bar. The sky was still grey, but rain had stopped falling at the very least. It made the walk to the bar much more tolerable. When he arrived, he tapped lightly on the frame, and Muffy's wavering voice called out through the door.

"Ryou, come on in!"

He entered with a smile. "How did you know it was me?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? You're the only one in town who knocks first. I'm glad you came, though!" she said.

Griffin grunted to himself. "The Thief King's not here yet."

"Good," Ryou said. "I plan on catching this thief myself!"

"That's the spirit," Griffin told him. Muffy laughed.

Ryou glanced around the room. "Are you cooking anything?" he asked, pointing to the back room where the kitchen was set up. A faint aroma was filling the room slowly, and smelled vaguely familiar. What was that smell?

Muffy figured it out first, humming, "Mmm, smells like curry."

"Yes... that smells sooo good!" Griffin echoed.

"So you aren't making it?" Ryou pressed.

Muffy shook her head. "Nope. It smells... almost like it's coming from outside."

"Ryou, can you stay here while Muffy and I check it out?"

Ryou nodded. "Not a problem."

Griffin beckoned, and Muffy followed him out of the bar. It was silent for a moment, and Ryou found his gaze wandering slowly around the room. Every little thing was typical and usual, something so standard and usual that everything seemed at the same time unusual.

The drinks, with their odd names, the Morning Mist and Fall Colors and even the Bodiaid and Okuhattan. The drink tumblers, bottles, glasses and more that were stacked up on the counters. The counters with their grains running perpendicular to the wall.

How many times had Ryou been to this bar for an evening glass of Fresh Breeze? It was sweet and refreshing and what the rain was to his crops- a breath of fresh air and revitalizing life. So many times...

He dragged a carefree finger along the rough counter.

"Heheh. We meet again, my darling Ryou," Bakura called, and Ryou flinched. Bakura had taken him completely by surprise again.

Ryou turned. A smile spread very slowly across Bakura's face. Predatory, hungry. Charming. How?

"Do you believe that fate has drawn us together?" Bakura asked. It was the same silky, roughed velvet tone as before. A purr. A growl. A lilting accent that was foreign and yet felt so very like home.

Ryou felt his hands quiver slightly. "I'm here to catch you," he said as levelly as possible.

Bakura seemed slightly put-out by Ryou's refusal, face blank. Finally, a small grin broke out. "...Heheh. Being chased after by beauties seems to be a curse of mine."

"Are you always like this?" Ryou asked.

"Always resolutely charming? Of course," Bakura laughed. "Heheh. Anyway, I wonder if you could just hold still for a moment," he said.

"I don't think-"

"CHICK BEAM- FIRE!" Bakura yelled, holding up a small, oddly-shaped weapon.

All of Ryou's limbs locked. A strange wave of warmth washed over his body, flowing over him like settling into a hot spring. Everywhere the heat touched, he found he couldn't move. It was paralytic, like a poison that stung and yet didn't sting at all. He was frozen! Completely motionless!

He struggled and tugged at the imaginary bindings. Because that's what they had to be, right? Imaginary? He could see nothing on his arms, feel nothing holding his legs locked tight in place. Why couldn't he move? The warmth pervaded down to his fingertips and toes, burning like fire. He was frozen by the heat.

"Heh heh, just relax. You'll be able to move again in a while," Bakura chuckled. He vanished from sight and began to riffle through the cabinet. Ryou couldn't turn to look and see what he was doing, but it was fairly obvious that he was digging around for something specific. There were sounds of glass bottles dragging along wooden shelves and clinking against one another where they ran out of room. Ryou gnashed his teeth in frustration. He couldn't move a muscle. Well, that wasn't necessarily true, he could move his jaw. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to work past the stiffness in his jaw. After a silent moment, Ryou figured he could talk.

"Why are you a thief?" he asked. It seemed like the most pressing question at the moment. He wasn't sure whether or not Bakura would answer, but he got a quick reply. It surprised him slightly, in fact.

The "I don't know," was paired with Bakura's usual chuckle.

"It's just for fun?" Ryou asked. He could almost hear the grin that had to be on Bakura's face.

"Heheh. That might be it. And that might not be it," he laughed. "Heheh. You want to know more about me, don't you? I can tell. But if I simply tell you, it'll take the mystique out of our relationship."

Wait, relationship? Ryou would have been frozen in place by the statement if he'd been able to move in the first place.

But Bakura wasn't finished. "I know, my lovely Ryou! If you can catch me, I'll tell you anything you want."

"I just have to catch you? That's it?"

"But of course, beautiful. That's it. Not that you ever will!" Bakura teased. "Many have tried and none have succeeded."

"Then I'll be the first."

"That's the spirit!" Bakura laughed.

"That's odd. I could have sworn that great smell was coming from here," Ryou heard faintly.

"Yeah, let's go back to the shop," another voice chimed.

A hand fell on Ryou's shoulder, and he forced the stiff muscles to turn and look. Bakura was grinning impishly at him, russet eyes gleaming in the low light. A bottle was clasped in the long fingers of his left hand. "Sorry, but I'm a bit pressed for time. I'll see you around, Ryou," he practically purred. He leaned down and a curtain of silver covered Ryou's eyes.

Something faint and warm brushed the corner of Ryou's mouth, feather-light against the lips and cheek. A hand on his chin pulled his head up just as Bakura pulled away. Warmth flooded his cheeks, but it wasn't from the paralytic beam of magic. The last thing he saw was Bakura's alluring smile and then the back of his head as he darted out the window.

The door swung open slowly, and Muffy and Griffin walked into the bar. He could only stare, dazed for a moment, before recovering enough to speak.

"B-Bakura! He- he was here, and I, well, he, I mean-"

"What? The Phantom was here?!" Muffy cried. Ryou nodded as best he could, but the effect was noticeably robotic.

"Are you okay, Ryou? You look... odd," Griffin said.

Ryou grimaced. "Some sort of... thing. I don't know. Like a ray gun. He pointed it at me and I couldn't move!"

"Wait! You were paralyzed by the Phantom's magic spell? It's only supposed to work on girls," Muffy said.

Ryou blushed in embarrassment. "Then why can't I move?" he cried, squirming in place.

"Sorry Ryou, but you're kinda girly. Maybe he fixed it so it would work on you, too?" Muffy asked.

Griffin sighed. "That's the Phantom for you. His gears are always turning. He probably did do something to it."

"I'm sorry, Ryou. We just left you all alone."

"And I'm really, really sorry," Griffin agreed. "Thanks for the help today. Get a good night's rest, you should be back to normal tomorrow morning."

Ryou frowned but nodded again, shuffling awkwardly out of the bar. There was a strange hollow feeling in his chest. His limbs were stiff and refused to work properly. Whatever it was that the thief had done to him, Ryou didn't like it one bit. He'd heard of magic before, but always because of sprites, the Witch Princess, and the Harvest Goddess. never in the hands of a normal person, and certainly not in the hands of a thief to be misused for evil.

But why had he brought it? That... Chick Beam. It would have certainly been handy when they had met at the mansion, not that he'd really needed it, to freeze Ryou and Lumina. But he hasn't used it then like he had now. What had changed? Why had he brought it now rather than then? Robbing the bar after leaving a note ahead of time made the situation riskier, but if Bakura thought he would fail, Ryou doubted Bakura would have attempted it in the first place. Was it simply because the bar was a higher-risk target and he needed a backup plan?

Ryou shook his head. That couldn't be it. He had lured Muffy and Griffin out of the bar. They we're the ones who were the threat, not Ryou. But the spell had been used on Ryou, not them. And why was that vain thief a thief in the first place?

He rubbed his hands together to get feeling back into them. This was becoming a problem. Clearly Bakura would continue to steal from Ryou's friends and neighbors for as long as he was free to do so, and it was equally clear that stopping him was going to be a challenge. But that still begged the question- did Ryou really want to bring Bakura to justice? Did he really?

He'd met the thief all of three times and each time had made his heart stutter and skip around in his chest like he was some foolish schoolgirl. Either he had a serious medical issue or he was in lo- No! No, he was not in 'the l word' with a thief. Sure his knees got weak when he was around, and it was impossible to breathe, and his voice got squeaky...

Oh, no, it _was_ love, or at the very least extreme infatuation. This wasn't, couldn't be true! There was no way Ryou would ever even remotely like someone as awful, as depraved, as promiscuous as Bakura. Ryou was good! He was hardworking and honest! He would never do something like this normally.

This wasn't him! It shouldn't have been like this, but it was.

Inconceivable, but his heart ached the more and more he thought about it. Stabbing pains ran through him every time the name Bakura so much as crossed his thoughts. Guilt flooded through him as he recalled the declaration, that bold statement that he would catch Bakura. He would catch this cocky, narcissistic, beautiful thief when no one else had. He couldn't suppress the flush that boiled up into his cheeks, bringing his trembling fingers to lips.

And after Ryou had said that, Bakura had... he had... kissed him. Him! Ryou wrapped his arms tight about himself, partially as comfort and partially to stave off the chill from the damp air. Why? Why him? He had to know. Shivering, and not entirely due to the cold, Ryou walked home quickly, unable to stop thinking about it.

Perhaps... no. It just wasn't possible. Bakura wasn't attracted to him. Ryou was just a poor little farm boy who rarely, if ever, got days off. His life was ruled by the weather, the ever-changing seasons, and the long hours he spent every morning slaving away on his crops to make them grow big and strong. Bakura had no reason to like him. Biting his lower lip, he let himself into his house and changed into soft cotton pajama bottoms.

He needed a long night's sleep.


	3. Blue Heart

**New pen name, same story. Anyway...**

**The Blue Heart Event is my favorite. I don't know. It just is. Expect fewer changes. ****Oh, and a bit of side-plot. I like side-plot. Didn't think this short little story would have one, but it does. Makes me happy.**

* * *

Days passed, but Ryou never forgot the feel of Bakura's kiss. No matter how hard he tried, throwing himself into his fall crops, rescuing as many sprites as he could, and even doing some fishing, he couldn't get it out of his mind.

It was so bad that he worried that people were noticing. They didn't quite figure out what was wrong, but several of Ryou's friends around town were starting to notice that something about him was... off.

Flora had said he seemed distracted, and was he working too hard lately? She mentioned that Carter sometimes looked like that after he spent too much time down in the mines with her. She said that a home-cooked meal always seemed to make him better, although in a bit of an unorthodox way- she admitted she wasn't much of a cook, and that it was mostly threatening to make him eat it that seemed to bring some life back into him.

Ryou had smiled a little bit at that, only for Flora to offer to cook for him, too. He had declined as nicely as he could, embarrassed and flustered as ever, which had made his friend laugh. Flora said that it had worked, and there was a bit of his old spark in his eyes. Ryou forced himself to laugh and thanked her heartily, but as he left her that day, it was with a sinking feeling in his gut. It had worked because it had served as a distraction. Flora wasn't just bad at cooking, she was actually quite terrible. Of course it had taken his mind off of that kiss.

But not only that. Ryou had spent the time walking home doing some thinking about it, and realized that, if Carter was acting like Ryou was, maybe he suffered from the same malady- a confused and nervous heart. There was a look that Carter got when he thought no one could see him, a look that Ryou only ever saw directed toward Flora. A look Ryou suspected rested on his own face when he looked at Bakura, despite his best attempts. A sign of fluttering hearts and sweaty palms, nervousness and straying thoughts.

The question was, though- was he correct? Perhaps if Carter knew what Ryou was going through, he could help explain it. Carter was older, wiser, and more of an adult than Ryou. Surely he could clarify the situation. Yes, he could! It was an excellent idea, Ryou realized. Who better to talk to than someone who would know more about it than him?

This would be perfect. He could just drop by tomorrow morning before they headed up to the dig site, try to catch Carter on his way in, or just ask to speak to him away from Flora. It wouldn't be difficult. And he had been hoping to find something truly wonderful in the mines for a while now. Mostly he found small coins and such that weren't worth much, but made Carter grateful all the same. It would be nice to dig up a necklace or bracelet from times gone by, like the other two did every now and again.

The morning after, he woke up as early as usual and dressed in clothes that he didn't mind getting a bit dirty. After doing his chores, caring for his chickens and a small calf he had just bought recently as well as watering his fall crops, he headed up to the mines to talk to Carter. To his surprise, they weren't there. Strange. Usually they started early in the morning so they could retire early when it started to get late. Were they still in the tent?

He walked over carefully, hearing a conversation that grew clearer the closer he got. Concern grew within him, reaching a tipping point when he heard one of them mention 'Bakura' in a disgusted tone. He froze but forced himself to knock on the door support before he could chicken out.

The tent opened, and Carter's head stuck out. His hair was as disheveled as always, perhaps more so, and there was an anxious look to him. His expression brightened when he saw Ryou. " Ryou! You came at a good time."

"Why? What is it?" he asked.

Flora frowned, holding up a sheet of paper. Bakura's handwriting glossed across the page in ink so black it looked freshly written. "A note came from that thief, Bakura." Carter took the note and held it under a pair of what looked like reading glasses that sat on a table nearby.

"'At midnight, I'll be helping myself to the valuables in your tent. Thief King Bakura.' That two-bit, good-for-nothing snake-in-the-grass of a thief," Carter growled.

"We'll be set back for days if he takes our artifacts," Flora worried to herself. "It's one thing to let good people like you take the things you find home after we document them, but it's another for some thief to take them before we ever get the chance!"

Carter was silent, stroking his chin thoughtfully before finally speaking. "Not to worry, Flora, I have a plan. Ryou, if you lend us a hand, we can catch that thief! What do you say?"

Ryou was sure his expression was one to behold, and arranged it into a better controlled mask with more effort that should have been necessary. "Yes!" he said, perhaps a little too emphatically. "I mean, of course I'll help."

"Thank you, Ryou. Thank you so much!" Flora said. She smiled first at him, and then at Carter. Her grin lingered on him for a second longer than it did on Ryou. Carter just laughed and clapped a hand on Ryou's shoulder.

"Glad to hear it! We'll be waiting in the tent when the time comes. Come see us between 10 and 12 tonight. That's probably when he'll strike. Think you can manage that?" Carter asked.

Ryou nodded. The two started to leave the tent, but he grabbed Carter's sleeve and tugged. "Wait," he said. Carter paused and turned. "I- I wanted to ask you something. But I didn't want to say it with Flora around."

"What is it? Is there something wrong?"

Ryou glanced at the floor. "Nothing's _wrong_, I guess, just... confusing. I wanted to ask you- I mean, if it isn't too much to ask, as in too personal-"

"Just spit it out, my boy," Carter said.

And though Ryou was sure he knew the answer already, he just had to ask. "What does it mean if your heart is jumpy when you're with someone, like it's trying to jump out of your chest however possible? Your palms get hot, and you don't know what to say most of the time. And when you do think of the words, they're always the exact wrong ones, like your brain isn't working anymore- it's shorted out? I thought- I thought I'd ask you, because it looked like, well, I mean to say that it seemed like you would know what I was talking about."

Carter grinned. "I get it. Who's the lucky lady? No, don't tell me, is it... oh, wow, I don't even know!" he laughed. "You came to the right place me, I know a thing or two about love."

"Is that- is it love? Just, what does it mean? The feelings are... strange. I don't know why I get them, and I shouldn't, but I- I do-"

"Ryou, relax, it's perfectly normal. Everyone eventually finds someone who makes them feel, hmmm, what's the word? Right. Yes, right. The best part about love is that it can quite literally come from where you least expect it. I personally- well, now really isn't the time for that!" he chuckled loudly. "But what I'm saying is that, if you think that these feeling are love, and trust me, you'll know when they are, then things will work themselves out eventually, especially if your lucky little lady feels the same way," he added with a wink. "By the way, do I get a name? A hint? Who is the beautiful girl who stole your heart?"

Ryou blushed crimson. "I- I'd rather not say. I'm not- I mean, I don't think-"

"Oh, don't worry about it, I'm just teasing. You don't have to say. As long as it isn't Flora of course!" he laughed, then eyed Ryou. "It isn't Flora, is it?"

"No! She's a friend, but just that. I know you like her anyway. It's why I thought to ask you."

Carter grinned. "Good. Glad we're on the same page. Oh, and tell me, if you find an old ring lying around the mines, think you could give it to me and not Flora? I've been looking for one that fell out of my pocket for a while now. Rather you find it than someone else, if you know what I mean!"

"Yes, I will," Ryou promised. "Thank you."

"Not a problem, my boy! Glad I could help. Least I could do after you agreed to help on such short notice."

The tent flap opened, and Flora's head poked through. "Carter, you coming?" she asked, head canted slightly to the side and skewing her blond hair across her face in a way she didn't seem to notice. A faint, lovestruck look glanced across Carter's face, and Ryou struggled to quell a tiny smile.

"Right away, Flora!" he said. He hurried out of the tent to follow her, leaving Ryou alone. He picked up the discarded letter from the table it had been placed on. He couldn't help but notice how nice the handwriting looked. The pen must have cost him, or whomever he happened to steal it from, a pretty penny. Ryou wasn't quite sure why, but the thought made him feel strange. Bad as stealing was, he had to admit, Bakura was confident. The kind of confident Ryou wished he could be. The kind of confident that didn't fear what others thought and did and was willing to do whatever it wanted just because it could.

It was bad, so very bad. Bakura was a thief. Bakura was a _guy_. It was completely, impossibly bad for him to think about someone like Bakura. And, in a sick way, just a little bit good.

* * *

"Thanks for coming. That thief isn't here yet. We'll have to wait a bit longer," Carter said when Ryou showed up that evening, the little watch on his wrist proclaiming the time to be five past ten.

Ryou nodded. He wasn't sure how long they would have to wait, but if he knew one thing, it was that it would be just when they least expected. He sighed. Bakura was certainly good at what he did. He cast his eyes around the tent in curiosity. Many of the artifacts in here were found long before Ryou had ever moved to this valley. They were interesting, and he always enjoyed looking at them.

"Fascinating, aren't they?" Carter asked.

"Yes, very," Ryou agreed. "What is that?"

"That's a dress made by one of my ancestors. It doesn't look much like a dress anymore, though, does it?" he said with a hearty laugh. "It's all rotting lace and ripped embroidery now. But it was beautiful once, wasn't it, Flora?"

"Yes, very. I made a sketch of what I thought it would look like. It's on the wall there," Flora said, pointing.

Ryou turned and smiled. It was just a doodle with a bit of shading and color, rough but showing promise, of a very old dress with a ruffled collar. The paper was wrinkled slightly and the corner was torn, but other than that, it was in excellent condition. "It's fantastic," he said. "I didn't know you could draw."

"Oh, I'm not that good," Flora said, looking embarrassed.

"Nonsense, you're excellent," Carter said.

Flora smiled appreciatively, until her eyes landed on a stately, old clock that was on a table. "Thief King Bakura still hasn't shown up. Maybe he forgot about the note he sent," she said, thumbing her chin.

Carter's eyes shifted along the artifacts in silence for a moment before he lurched upright, eyes wide. "That dirty thief!" he said, looking furious. Ryou blinked, not catching on. Flora seemed equally confused. "He could be stealing goods from the dig site at this very moment! Let's move, Flora! Ryou, we need you to stay here just in case!"

"Got it," Ryou said. The two ran from the tent.

"I was wondering when they'd leave."

Ryou jumped, then winced when he realized that Bakura had, once again, caught him by surprise. He almost decided that he needed to get used to that and stop jumping every time Bakura caught him unawares, but that, of course, that implied that he planned on meeting Bakura more in the future.

"You know, I had a feeling we'd meet tonight," Bakura drawled, stalking into the tent. Ryou turned around, cowering slightly. Bakura caught the gesture and grinned. "Don't be nervous. I won't use my magic here. I sent a note today, but I'm not here to steal anything. I came to see you, Ryou. Ryou," he repeated, seeming to savor the way that the word rolled off his tongue.

Ryou caught a flash of teeth between his lips.

"And I was hoping you'd spend some time with me. Don't look at me like that. I think you'll find I'm being perfectly honest. I just want to spend some time with you. What do you say?"

Before Ryou could stop himself, before he could even think, he was blabbing, "I'd love to." He rubbed his sweaty palms together. His heart was fluttering irregularly. If Carter was wrong, Ryou was never listening to him again.

Bakura chuckled softly. "Thank you, beautiful. Why don't we go somewhere else? Those other two could be back any minute."

"Y-yeah, alright," he said. Bakura offered his hand, and Ryou swiped his own quickly against his pant leg to dry it before taking it. He wondered if Bakura noticed the slight quivering of his fingers. From the grin, he figured Bakura was well aware of it.

Quiet as the night, Bakura led Ryou out of the tent and into the shadows outside, keeping to the furthest reaches of the gloom and dancing through the darkness like a wight. And though Ryou's footsteps thundered through the grass and leaves, Bakura's feet never made the slightest whisper. He was a phantom, invisible to everyone but Ryou. This was why Bakura had never been caught, and why very few had ever even seen him. He was a master at this, a king. He was the King of Thieves.

At first Ryou wondered where they were going, but Ryou quickly realized their destination- the beach that emptied early, without fail, every single night. Bakura led him across the sand with a strange little smile on his face, eerily seductive and yet almost genuinely happy. They stopped at the water's edge, and only then did he drop Ryou's hand. He flopped down, crossing his booted heels in the sand that was damped by the receding tide and burying his hands somewhere behind him. He pulled one up just long enough to pat a patch of sand close to him.

Ryou sat down, leaving a few inches between them. Bakura rectified this quickly, wrapping an arm around Ryou's waist and drawing him closer until Ryou's hip was flesh with Bakura's. The hand buried itself again. "Much better." Ryou looked from Bakura to the open water, fighting the red that filled his cheeks. "The ocean is especially beautiful tonight, isn't it? Maybe it's because you're by my side, Ryou." The red color in his cheeks darkened.

Bakura winked, but allowed the silence to stand, seeming to enjoy just sitting beside Ryou. Ryou kept looking between the water and Bakura, but both were the same sort of enigmatic mystery, the unanswerable question that left a bitter taste on his tongue. Bakura's eyes, with their bottomless crimson depths and thousand mile stare, and the ocean that no boat could battle long without capsizing like the little fishing boat that rested, ruined, on the sand to their right.

Finally Bakura spoke again, and this time, his tone was much softer than before. Not as playful, and much more serious. "I'm going to tell you something I have never told anyone else before, alright? If you tell anyone, you'll regret it... But, well, I actually pride myself in making curry. That's how I knew you were the one.

"I worked hard at it day after day, gathered various ingredients, and tasted curry made by many different people. But I could never seem to make the curry I'm going for. I've got the right flavor and all, but still it seems to miss something important. And whatever it is that it's missing, you've got in yours. That was the start of it. And now I have to know. What is it? What secret do you hold in that pretty little head of yours, hidden behind that face that seems to, quite honestly, haunt my dreams?"

"You aren't cooking with love," Ryou said in a small voice. He looked up at Bakura, hiding behind the hair in his face and the full, feathery darkness of his lashes but looking at him all the same.

Bakura chuckled gently. "Love, huh...? Something so simple... Could it be that easy? But of course, you may be right. I have been so focused on flavor that I never thought about it. I hope you'll try my curry the next time I make some. Perhaps by that time I will have finally figured out just where to get that oh-so-special secret ingredient." He grinned. "Maybe I can steal it. I might know who I could take it from."

Ryou forced himself to swallow, but his throat didn't seem to want to cooperate. "R-really? But what would that person say if you did such a thing?"

"I doubt they'd mind. Maybe I'm over-estimating myself, but I think that if I ask nicely enough, it won't even be stealing. I could be wrong though. What do you think, angel?"

"I think they'd be... okay with it. If you asked nicely," Ryou said. "Well, if they still had it. I mean, you're a thief who is good at what you do. Who's to say you haven't stolen it already?"

Bakura's grin grew very, very wide. "I must be better at thievery than I thought, then, to have stolen it and only found out for sure tonight. But what happens if I lose it? What if it is misplaced?"

"Then, I suppose you will just have to get some more. I don't think it will be so easy the second time, but if it is worth the effort, then what else can you do?"

Bakura broke out into laughter. "A very good point, beautiful. Thanks for spending time with me tonight. It's getting late, though, and you have to work." Ryou fought his disappointment, sifting sand through his fingers. Bakura stood and helped Ryou up, tipping his chin up so he wouldn't be able to look at Bakura through his half-closed eyelids. "I'd walk you back, but a nice guy like you shouldn't be caught out with a thief. Good luck with your work, Ryou. Have a good night."

Bakura began to fade into the darkness, when Ryou cried out, "Wait!" Bakura paused. "I mean, you said you didn't know if you had stolen it yet. The love. But shouldn't you... make sure? It would be terrible to get home and realize you had forgotten it, right?" Ryou asked.

Bakura grinned lazily. "If you're asking me what I think you are, then the answer is 'no'. I'm pretty sure I have it, but you're right. Getting it back if I lost it would be very, very difficult, so I think I will take the time to make sure that I have it in a safe place before I risk anything. Next time, beautiful. Something to look forward to."

And as Bakura disappeared into the night, Ryou realized one thing from the swelling feeling in his heart- Carter was right. Carter was so, so right. He would know when he was in love. And Ryou had fallen harder than he had ever fallen for anyone or anything ever before.

With a start, he realized that he had left the dig site tent alone, and Flora and Carter were probably looking for both him and Bakura. He fled back to the tent, blowing in just in time to see them taking careful inventory.

"Did that thief come by?" Flora asked.

"Uh, yeah, but he left when he saw me," Ryou said. "I tried to follow him, but he... got away."

Carter grunted, looking up from his checklist. "Hmph. There's no trace of anything missing at the dig site."

"Well, case closed then!" Flora said. "Thanks for your help, Ryou. Looks like we thwarted the mighty Thief King. Teamwork is a marvelous thing, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ryou said. He smiled. "Well, it's late. I think I'm going to head home. I've got an early morning tomorrow."

"Of course, of course," Carter said, nodding. Ryou turned to leave. "Oh, and Ryou?"

"Yes?"

"Did you think about what I said earlier?" he asked.

Ryou smiled. "I did. Quite a bit. And you're right about knowing when it's right. Thank you, Carter."

"Not a problem, my boy!" he said, laughing. Flora sent him a confused look, but Carter just shook his head, a sort of 'tell you later' gesture. Ryou left and headed home. The whole night he dreamed of mysterious, faceless thieves stealing his heart away under cover of darkness- hilarious because Ryou knew the truth. His heart was already gone, and he knew exactly what his dashing thief looked like. His thief was the king of them all.

* * *

**Flora and Carter are adorable together. Not as adorable as Ryou and Bakura, but still pretty adorable. **

**Yup, that was definitely my favorite heart event. Love the blue one :D And the extras that I added. **


End file.
